Earthweek: A Diary of the Planet

Jul. 4, 2013

Meteorologists and ocean experts are puzzled by a freak tsunami-like surge last month in the Atlantic that swept people off rocks and tossed divers onto reefs. More than 20 tide gauges from Bermuda and Puerto Rico to the northeastern coast of the United States recorded the rare phenomenon on June 13. The greatest ocean heave was recorded at Newport, R.I., where it reached just under a foot above sea level. But a fisherman at New Jersey's Barnegat Inlet says he saw an approximately 6-foot wave come in during the surge. Some believe that a line of severe storms, which had just caused widespread damage over the northeastern U.S., generated a phenomenon known as a meteotsunami, or a tsunami caused by weather. The last significant meteotsumanis on the East Coast took place in 2008 at Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and in 1992 at Daytona Beach, Fla.

Locust Plague

Madagascar risks having two-thirds of its crops overrun by locust swarms if it fails to act now, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns. "This could very well be a last window of opportunity to avert an extended crisis," said FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva. The country's worst locust infestation in 60 years had spread across a wide swath of the country by early April, and FAO says the agency has been falling short in its efforts to raise funds from Western donors to combat the plague.

Experts say there are now more than 500 billion ravenous locusts on the island nation, chomping through about 100,000 tons of vegetation each day. "If we don't act now, the plague could last years and cost hundreds of millions of dollars," cautioned Graziano da Silva.

Hurricane Suppression

New research by the U.K.'s meteorological office reveals that the air pollution from industry and vehicles may have kept down the number of Atlantic hurricanes during the 20th century. The burning of fossil fuel in Europe and North America throughout the 19th and 20th centuries released large quantities of particulates, or "aerosols" into the air. Aerosols can increase the brightness and lifespan of low-altitude clouds over the ocean, which, in large numbers, can cool bodies of water like the North Atlantic.

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According to a series of computer simulations created for the study, Atlantic hurricane activity was suppressed over the last 100 years due to such cooling. But efforts to clean up the air on both sides of the Atlantic have reduced aerosol emissions, especially through the phasing out of coal-burning power plants. This has caused the cooling effect to wane. The study suggests that the recent increases in Atlantic hurricane numbers could be the result of that cleaner air.

Alaskan Blast

Ash and cinders from Alaska's Pavlof volcano soared 5 miles into the sky as the mountain erupted with greater force than at any time since it roared to life in mid-May. "For some reason we can't explain, it picked up in intensity and vigor," said Tina Neal, an Alaska Volcano Observatory geologist. The U.S. National Weather Service issued an ash advisory for the area around the Alaska Peninsula, about 600 miles southwest of Anchorage, where Pavlof is located. Ash dusted nearby King Cove, but the plume of volcanic debris did not reach an altitude high enough to interfere with trans-Pacific jetliner routes. Pavlof has erupted about 40 times since Russia colonized Alaska in the 1700s.

Tropical Cyclones

Tropical Storm Bebinca drenched South China's island province of Hainan before losing force over far northern Vietnam. More than 12 inches of rainfall and storm-surge tides swamped farmland and burst flood barriers in some locations. Hurricane Cosme churned the open waters of the eastern Pacific off the Mexican coast.

Earthquakes

An unusually strong quake centered beneath northern Italy at midday on June 21 prompted many schools to evacuate as a precaution. The 5.2 magnitude shaking caused walls of some older buildings to collapse, but there were no reports of injuries. Earth movements were also felt in the central Indonesian island of Lombok, the northern Philippines, northern Tunisia, northern New Jersey and north-central Washington.

Cold War Defender

A Russian rocket scientist says that some of his country's Soviet-era intercontinental ballistic missiles could be used to destroy asteroids or any other objects that threaten to strike Earth. Sabit Saitgarayev told RIA Novosti that the Voyevoda (Satan) missiles could be used for destroying small space objects with a diameter of up to 330 feet if the missile is equipped with the third stage. The missile would then be able to destroy space objects five to six hours before their collision with the Earth. Concerns over a catastrophic impact from an asteroid or comet have risen since a meteor exploded over Russia on Feb. 15, injuring more than 1,000 people.